Jiapingguan Chronicle

Chapter 2596 Atonement for Crimes 59.0
"Assassins? How come assassins suddenly appeared? Uncle Ning has never mentioned them before."

"Your Highness doesn't know, he was still ill at the time. Even if he had the idea of ​​confronting the Liu family, he was powerless to do so. As for Prince Ying and Prince Dai, they were only concerned about Your Highness's safety and couldn't worry about anything else for the time being." Jin Miaomiao leaned wearily on Shen Cha's shoulder and said weakly, "As for the assassin, it was only because Madam Luan overheard her father and brother's conversation that she learned that if she dared to elope with His Highness, she would be killed without mercy." At this point, she snorted coldly, "Although I know there are parents in this world who sell their children for personal gain, I never expected there to be such people. They actually threatened their daughter, saying that even if she died, her body would be sent to the Luan family to be buried with the eldest son. Listen to that, is that even human language?"

“This is just a threat. After all, they need to make a living under the Empress Dowager, so they certainly can’t go against her wishes.” Shen Cha sighed. “You and I both know very well what kind of person the Empress Dowager is. If you openly oppose her, she might let you off the hook, but if you outwardly agree but secretly oppose her, she won’t let you off the hook and will definitely make you pay a heavy price.” She sneered, “Do you remember the Fang family? That minor official in the Ministry of Justice.” Seeing Jin Miaomiao nod, she continued, “That minor official Fang agreed to help her with a favor, but then he exposed her affair. He thought he had done it secretly, but in reality…” She shook her head slightly, “Everything was under the Empress Dowager’s control. In the end, the minor official Fang harmed himself and others, causing his entire family to lose their lives.”

"Yes!" Jin Miaomiao immediately realized, "You mean..."

"If Madam Luan really escaped back then, even if she was killed by assassins, the Liu family would not have been able to escape the fate of being retaliated against by the Empress Dowager. Madam Luan's father and brothers knew the Empress Dowager's temper very well, so they had no choice but to say this."

Do you believe in real killers?

"Hmm!" Shen Cha sighed. "When you were telling me just now, I also wondered if there really was an assassin, but when I thought about it being the Empress Dowager's doing," she shrugged helplessly, "anything is possible."

“That’s true. The Empress Dowager is a terrifying person. She plans every step meticulously, and every step must be completed according to her plan.”

She coughed lightly twice, feeling that her throat was a little hoarse, and reached for a glass of warm water to drink a couple of sips.

After talking with Madam Luan, she came out of the prison cell and went to the main camp to take a look around. She found out that Shen Haolin, Shen Cha and their group were at the drill ground. Instead of rushing over, she went back to her tent, washed up thoroughly, and changed into clean clothes before coming over.

She had been guarding Boss Luan in the cell for a day and a night, and even she herself found the smell on her body extremely disgusting. If she didn't wash herself clean, she was afraid that the stench would offend others.

Shen Cha reached out and touched Jin Miaomiao's forehead to make sure she was just a little tired and not sick, and then she felt relieved.

"Putting everything else aside, just the fact that the Empress Dowager sent assassins to prevent them from meeting should at least help resolve His Highness's inner conflict, shouldn't it?" Jin Miaomiao sighed and said, "I asked Madam Luan, 'Now that you've met His Highness, why don't you have a proper talk and resolve your inner conflict?' She just smiled and didn't answer my question." She nudged Shen Cha, "Do you think people their age all enjoy this kind of self-torture? They'd rather the other person hate them than tell the truth. What do you think they're after?"

Shen Cha glanced at the situation on the arena. Although it was much more exciting than the previous two days, the overall result should not change. The remaining people, including Shao Bai, were as expected.

"That's what I think too. Could it be that she thinks that once things are cleared up and Uncle Ning's knot is untied, Uncle Ning will stop thinking about her? That can't be, right?" Shen Cha was also very confused. She looked at Shen Haolin and Xue Ruitian who had walked over and asked, "Brothers, you've heard some of this too. What are your thoughts?"

"Asking them is basically pointless; they won't know either. You might as well ask your brother!" Jin Jing turned around from behind Shen Cha and Jin Miaomiao and sat down opposite them. "This arena has been open for several days now, and we have a pretty good understanding of the general situation. When are we going up?"

“We’re not in a rush. Let the lieutenants go up first, and we can clean up the mess later.” Bai Meng also came over and looked at Eagle Leopard and Eagle Falcon, who were still standing in front watching the arena. “Those two are quite anxious, as are the two young princes and Xiao Jiu. Since they want to go up, let’s not stop them, right? If they go up, it should be more interesting. Right now…” He shook his head, “It’s getting less and less interesting.” “That’s true.” Xue Ruitian nodded and looked at Shen Cha and Jin Miaomiao. “What did you two say about assassins? Hao Lin and I heard a little bit, but we didn’t understand.”

Jin Miaomiao briefly recounted what she had said to Madam Luan, and also raised her own questions.

"Let's do this"

Jin Jing and Bai Meng exchanged a glance, looked at the faces filled with curiosity, and sighed softly.

"Speak up, why are you hesitating?"

“If Madam Luan isn’t lying to us, then we also think it’s better not to tell His Highness.”

"Why?" Shen Cha and Jin Miaomiao exchanged a glance, their faces filled with confusion. "If we explain it clearly, won't we stop hating each other? Letting go of the other person will also let go of ourselves, won't it?"

“You really don’t understand at all!” Jin Jing waved her hand, took the tea from Merlin and Ying Wu, kept one bowl for herself, and handed the other to Bai Meng, saying, “You just said that the two of them were actually in love with each other, and that they were still discussing marriage when they last met, right? That means they were already deeply in love with each other, and even though they have parted ways now, they probably still have deep feelings for each other. Look at His Highness when he mentioned Madam Luan; although he couldn’t hide the hatred in his heart, his love was also undeniable.”

“Without love, there is no hate; love and hate are intertwined.” Bai Meng sighed and said, “Madam Luan is unwilling to tell His Highness about the assassins. Firstly, she has no solid evidence. She only heard from her father and brothers that the Empress Dowager had sent assassins to intercept him, but she did not see any assassins appear. Therefore, she cannot say anything. After all, she is a commoner, while the Empress Dowager is the ruler, and His Highness is also the ruler. If the Empress Dowager did not send assassins, and she rashly reveals this, once the Empress Dowager turns around and accuses her, the Liu family will be doomed.”

“That’s true.” Shen Cha nodded. “The Empress Dowager can deny it, or she can silence those assassins. Then there will be no witnesses or physical evidence, and the false accusation will be considered conclusive.”

“That’s right.” Jin Jing took a sip of tea and raised an eyebrow slightly. “The second reason is something you can probably guess.”

"It can't really be true."

“Once the knot in your heart is untied, there will be no more hatred.” Bai Meng sighed and said, “Without hatred, there will be no more love. Your Highness can be completely free from this relationship, and from now on, you may no longer have Madam Luan in your heart. She…” He looked at everyone and said, “That’s what we’re afraid of.”

"Unbelievable!" Shen Cha and Jin Miaomiao exchanged a glance. "How could a woman as decisive and ruthless as Madam Luan be troubled by love?"

“Decisiveness is just a facade; it’s all due to the pressures of life.” Xue Ruitian sighed. “Although there’s always a reason why someone is pitiful, Madam Luan is right. No one in this world can truly control their own destiny.”